From Interfaith Power and Light (http://interfaithpowerandlight.org):
In this pandemic that has now taken the lives of more than 80,000 Americans, it is not the oil and gas industry that most of us are worried about helping.
Yet that is what the Department of Interior is doing, by letting industry take advantage of historically low oil prices to grab oil and gas leases on our public lands at rock-bottom rates. Some leases are as low as $2/acre, and DOI is also trying to waive royalty payments. This amounts to a windfall of billions of dollars for the fossil fuel industry, at the expense of taxpayers.
As people of faith and conscience, we must demand that all oil and gas lease sales on public lands and in public waters are halted immediately. Interfaith Power & Light is partnering with 13 other organizations to demand the Department of Interior stop selling oil and gas leases during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Go to https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-petition-demand-interior-department-stop-all-public-land-sales-to-the-fossil-fuel-industry-during-covid-19-pandemic to sign the joint petition to the Department of the Interior.
The oil and gas industry wants new drilling and fracking leases within half a mile of Utah’s Canyonlands National Park, as well as more than 78 million acres in other states around the Gulf of Mexico. Some of these are natural heritage sites, irreplaceable and awe-inspiring parts of God’s Creation, that are publicly held because of their significance and value to all Americans.
Opening up public lands for bargain leases and drilling, without proper input from Americans, or public hearings, is a violation to the public trust. It also tramples indigenous rights, as consultation with tribal authorities generally happens face to face. Furthermore, allowing new oil and gas extraction will worsen the climate crisis, and risk contaminating our waters.
The Department of the Interior’s mission is to conserve and manage the nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage for the benefit and enjoyment of the American people.
The National Environmental Policy Act says that the public must have enough time to analyze and comment on these projects in detail. Communities focused on paying their bills and trying to stay healthy in a time of crisis are not able to adequately participate. It is a disgrace for the DOI to let the oil industry take advantage of this pandemic to advance their interests over the public good.
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